Machine gun



May 29, 19.23,

A. T. DAWSON ET AL MACHINE GUN Original Filed Jan. 7, 1921 5 Sheets-Sheet l A. T. DAWSON ET AL momma GUN Original Jan. 7, 5 sheets-She 6t 2 May 29, 1923.

May 29, 1923.

A. T DAWSCN ET AL MACHINE GUN Original Filed Jan. 1921 3 Shets-Sheet 5 Patented May 29, 1923.

UNITEDVMSTATES PATENT orrics.

AE'rHoR rnEvoE DAWSON AND GEORGE THOMAS BUCKHAM, or WESTMINSTER, LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNORS T0 VICKERS LIMITED, or WESTMINSTER,

LONDON, ENGLAND.

MACHINE GUN.

Original application filed J anuary 7, 1921, Serial No. 435,651.

Serial No. 438,167.

Divided and. this application filed January (GRANTED UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF THE ACT OF MARCH 3, 1921, 41 STAT. L., 1313.)

for which we have made application in reat Britain September 4, 1919, Pat. No. 165,858), of whichthe following is a specification. I

This invention relates to machine guns of the Vickers automatic type and the application is a' division of application Serial No. 435,651. In such guns designed to have a relatively short recoil and to give a high rate of fire it is found, especially when the gun is of comparatively large calibre and is firing a powerful cartridge, that the surplus or unabsorbed energy present at the end of the rearward movement of the parts on recoil is so great that when the usual curved surface on the forward part of the crank handle at the side of the gun comes against the roller with which it co-operates the impact is so violent as to give rise to distortion of the mechanism casing or other parts of the gun; the chief object of the present invention is to absorb the said surplus energy casing) the said part or surface and the said stop-piece being centrally arranged i. e. disposed equally on each side of a vertical plane containing the axis of the barrel, so that the stresses resulting from theimpact will be transmitted equally to each side-plate and will therefore not produce the aforesaid distorting effect.

In order that the said invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect we will describe the same more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figures 1, 2 and 3 are respectively aside elevation, a longitudinal vertical section and a plan (with the mechanism casing cover removed) of the rear portion of a Vickers automatic gun constructed in accordance with the present invention.

A is the mechanism casing, A isthe crank, A is the connecting rod pivoted at its rear end to the crank and at its forward end to the socket A of the side levers which are pivoted to the lock (the cranlgthe connecting rod and the side levers forming toggle levers as is well understood), A is the crank shaft, A is the crank handle and A is the roller with which this crank handle cooperates. B is the aforesaid stop-piece on the filling piece B at the rear end of the mechanism casing and C is the aforesaid part on the crank for coming against the stop-piece B at the end of the movement of the crank during recoil of the barrel. As will be seen from Figure 3 the said part C and the stop-piece B are disposed equally on each side of a vertical plane containing the axis of the barrel as aforesaid, and are preiierably made of masses of high quality stee The invention is particularly intended for use with an automatic gun having one or more barrel-returning springs in addition to the fusee spring and is shown as employed in conjunction with a gun of this character, D, D representing the said barrel-returning springs; in this case the crank handle A is so constructed and arranged as not to come into contact with the roller A during the completion of the rearward movement of the handle, and for this purpose the crank handle is formed without the usual cam surface which is indicated by chain lines at a in Figure 1. -'This roller is however still utilized for co-operating with the usual tail A on the crank handle to break the toggle levers (constituted by the crank and the connecting rod) at the commencement of the recoil movement of the barrel as is well understood and in order to reduce the shock resulting from impact between these parts we interpose between the roller A and its spindle or spigot A a bush a of fiber or other resilient material suitable for absorbing part of the shock.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. In avmachine gun of the barrel recoiling type, the combination with a part recoiling withthe barrel, a crank pivoted on said part, the lock, and a connecting rod connecting said crank to said lock, of a centrally arranged and rigid stop-piece, and a centrally arranged mass of metal on said crank, which mass strikes the stop-piece at the end of the movement of said crank during recoil of the barrel.

2/In a machine gun of the barrel recoiling type, the combination with a part recoiling with the barrel, a crank pivoted on said part, the lock, and a connecting rod connecting said crank to said lock, of a centrally arranged and rigid stop-piece, and a centrally arranged mass of metal on said crank, and projecting beyond the upper surface thereof, which mass strikes the stop-piece at the end of the movement of said crank during recoil of the barrel.

3. In a machine gun of the barrel recoiling type, the combination with a part recoiling with the barrel, a crank pivoted on said part, the lock, and a connecting rod connecting said crank to said lock, of a fusee spring operating on said crank, a barrel-returning spring in addition to said fusee spring, a handle connected to said crank, a roller with which a tail on said handle co-operates at the commencement of the recoil movement of the barrel but which the handle is constructed to clear during the completion of its rearward movement, and a centrally arranged and rigid stop-piece, a centrally arranged mass of metal on said crank, which mass strikes said stop-piece at the end. of its movement during recoil of the barrel.

4. In a machine gun of the barrel recoiling type, the combination with a part recoiling with the barrel, a crank pivoted on said part, the lock, and a connecting rod connecting said crank to said lock, of 'a handle connected to said crank, a roller with which a tail on said handle co-operates at the commencement of the recoil movement of the barrel, a spindle on which said roller is mounted and a bush, of resilient material interposed between said roller and said spin dle.

ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON. GEORGE THOMAS BUCKHAM. 

